Heuchera plant named ‘Lime Rickey’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct hybrid of  Heuchera  plant characterized by lime green wavy foliage and vigor.

Botanical classification: Heuchera hybrida.

Cultivar name: ‘Lime Rickey’.

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Heucherahybrida and given the cultivar name of ‘Lime Rickey’. Heuchera is in thefamily Saxifragaceae. Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ originated from a crossbetween Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’, (U.S. Plant Pat No. 13,348) as the seedparent, and Heuchera ‘Huntsman’, an unpatented plant as the pollenparent. Given its ornamental foliage and flower form it is known thatHeuchera micrantha, H. americana, H. brizoides, and H. sanguinea are inits parentage.

This new Heuchera is distinguished by:

-   -   1. Lime green, wavy foliage summer through winter. Lime green        rather than green is new and unique color for Heuchera species.    -   2. Gold spring foliage.    -   3. Small white flowers on medium length flowering stems.    -   4. Excellent vigor.

This new cultivar has been reproduced only by asexual propagation(division and tissue culture). Each of the progeny exhibits identicalcharacteristics to the original plant. Asexual propagation by divisionand tissue culture using standard micropropagation techniques withterminal and lateral shoots, as done in Canby, Oreg., shows that theforegoing characteristics and distinctions come true to form and areestablished and transmitted through succeeding propagations. The presentinvention has not been evaluated under all possible environmentalconditions. The phenotype may vary with variations in environmentwithout a change in the genotype of the plant.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ in bloom, growing in a one-galloncontainer in the shade house in summer in Canby, Oreg.

FIG. 2 shows Heuchera ‘Lime Rickey’ growing in the ground in the shadehouse in spring in Canby, Oreg.

DETAILED PLANT DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of the new Heuchera cultivarbased on observations of a two-year-old specimen grown in the ground ina shade house in Canby, Oreg. The color descriptions are all based onThe Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart.

-   Botanical classification: Heuchera hybrida.-   Cultivar name: ‘Lime Rickey’.-   Parentage: Heuchera hybrida ‘Amber Waves’ U.S. Plant Pat No. 13,348    (seed parent)×Heuchera hybrida ‘Huntsman’ (pollen parent).-   Plant:    -   -   Form.—Basal rosette, herbaceous perennial.        -   Hardiness.—USDA Zone 4 to 9.        -   Size.—20 cm tall and 48 cm wide.        -   Habit.—Mounding.-   Leaf:    -   -   Type.—Simple.        -   Arrangement.—Rosette.        -   Shape.—Ovate, irregular due to undulations.        -   Lobing/division.—5 lobes, with 1 to 2 shallow secondary            lobes.        -   Venation.—Palmate.        -   Margins.—Crenate and undulate.        -   Apex.—Mucronulate.        -   Base.—Cordate, lobes overlapping at the base.        -   Blade size.—5.5 to 7.7 cm long and 4.5 to 7 cm wide.        -   Vestiture.—Sparsely glandular both sides.        -   Aspect.—Matte.        -   Texture.—Thin, leathery.        -   Petiole length.—11 to 13 cm.        -   Petiole vestiture.—Glandular hairs of various sizes.        -   Petiole color.—Yellow Green 154C to 145C.        -   Leaf color.—Spring abaxial — Yellow 9A. Spring adaxial —            Yellow Orange 14D. Summer through winter abaxial — Lime,            Yellow Green 145A. Summer through winter adaxial — Yellow            Green 145B.-   Inflorescence:    -   -   Size.—5 to 7 cm wide and 7 to 20 cm long.        -   Type.—Thryse.        -   Number of flowers.—80 to 150 per thyrse.        -   Number of thyrse.—15.        -   Peduncle.—With 2 to 4 petiolate cauline leaves, ovate,            blades 2 to 5 cm long and 1 to 4 cm wide with a lobed and            incised margin. Height — 41 to 58 cm. Diameter — 0.4 cm near            base. Color — Yellow Green 151C. Vestiture — Glandular.        -   Branching.—3 times.        -   Pedicel.—Length — Variable. Vestiture — Glandular hairs.            Color — Yellow Green 151A.        -   Bloom period.—May in Canby, Oreg.-   Flower bud:    -   -   Size.—0.25 cm wide and 0.4 cm long.        -   Description.—Glandular puberulent, ovoid.        -   Color.—Cream, Yellow White 158A.-   Flower:    -   -   Type.—Perfect, zygomorphic.        -   Shape.—Campanulate.        -   Size.—0.4 cm long and 0.3 cm wide.        -   Petal count.—5, inconspicuous.        -   Petal color.—White 155D.        -   Petal shape.—Spatulate with a clawed base, reflex slightly.        -   Petal size.—0.35 cm long.        -   Calyx.—5 lobes, divided ⅓ way to the base, with glandular            hairs.        -   Calyx size.—0.4 cm long and 0.3 cm wide.        -   Calyx and flower color.—White 155A with Greyed Orange 168A            spots near base.        -   Stamen number.—5.        -   Pistil color.—White 155B.        -   Pistil color.—White 155B.        -   Anther color.—Orange 24B.        -   Pollen color.—Orange 24A.        -   Fragrance.—None.        -   Lastingness.—Each thryse blooms for about 2 weeks on the            plant.-   Fruit:    -   -   Type.—Two-beaked ovoid capsule.        -   Fertility.—Good.        -   Color.—Brown 200D.-   Seed:    -   -   Shape.—Linear.        -   Size.—2 mm. long.        -   Color.—Black. RHS 202A.-   Disease and pest tolerance: Shows excellent disease resistance to    powdery mildew, the common problem of Heuchera. Susceptible to    Heuchera rust and root weevils.

COMPARISON TO SIMILAR HEUCHERAS

There is no other lime-colored foliage Heuchera on the market. Comparedto its seed parent Heuchera ‘Amber Waves’ (U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,348),this new variety has lime green rather than amber colored foliage andwhite rather than creamy pink colored flowers. Compared to its pollenparent, Heuchera ‘Huntsman’, the new variety has lime green, wavy leaveswith white flowers rather than green leaves with dark centers, no wavyleaf margins, and pink flowers.

1. A new and distinct hybrid of Heuchera plant characterized by limegreen wavy foliage and vigor.